State Route 22 | ||||
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A red line indicating the path of SR 22 in Washington
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Route information | ||||
Defined by RCW 47.17.090 | ||||
Maintained by WSDOT | ||||
Length: | 35.84 mi (57.68 km) | |||
Existed: | ca. 1939 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end: | I‑82 / US 12 near Zillah | |||
US 97 in Toppenish | ||||
East end: | I‑82 / US 12 in Prosser | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Yakima, Benton | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 22 (SR 22) is a 35.84-mile (57.68 km) long state highway spanning Yakima and Benton counties in the US state of Washington. Existing since at least 1937, the highway serves to connect several small communities that have been bypassed by Interstate 82 (I-82) / U.S. Route 12 (US 12). Except for the section through Toppenish and the southeastern bypass of Prosser, the highway is lightly traveled passing mainly through rural farmland. The highway parallels a BNSF Railway line for a majority of its route, with the rail line predating the highway by at least 27 years.
Three digit highway numbers in Washington indicate auxiliary routes of their parent route, giving SR 22 five auxiliary routes: SR 220, SR 221, SR 223, SR 224, and SR 225. SR 220 was during the 1991 legislative session, and is no longer maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation.
SR 22 begins at exit 50 on the concurrent I-82 / US 12 as a hybrid diamond–partial cloverleaf interchange The route heads south through farmland towards the town of Toppenish in Yakima County, which is also part of the Yakama Indian Reservation. While in Toppenish, the highway passes over double track belonging to BNSF Railway. On the south end of town, SR 22 intersects US 97, turning southeast as US 97 heads south. Traveling southeast, SR 22 passes through more farmland, passing the small census-designated place of Satus and an interchange with SR 223. The city of Mabton is located just north of the highway, and is accessible by turning onto SR 241. The highway leaves the reservation and turns southwest after passing the Sunnyside Wildlife Recreation Area, and crosses the Yakima–Benton county line, continuing through farmland until approaching the outskirts of Prosser, the county seat of Benton County. SR 22 serves as a bypass of Prosser, turning north until intersecting Wine Country Road and the Desert Wind Winery on the east side of Prosser before turning back southwest on Wine Country Road and terminating at a folded diamond interchange, exit 82, on I–82.